Stuck
by Arona Nyree
Summary: What happens when a mission goes wrong? Will help come fast enough? Will they survive? BS
1. The Trap

Disclaimer: Although a girl can wish, I in no way shape or form own Mutant X or any of the characters.  
  
Part One: The Trap  
  
"So why exactly do we have to find this new mutant? I mean we are in the middle of nowhere."  
  
"Brennan, this guy is a powerful psionic and Eckhart is after him. We have to find his before they do." Shalimar looked over at Brennan before she continued, "Besides this way you get to play with your precious little toy."  
  
"If you are referring to the Helix, it is not a toy. If you want, I could teach you to fly it?"  
  
"I took the emergency course you taught, that's all I need for now. Between you and Jesse and Adam, I don't think we'll have a shortage of pilots anytime soon."  
  
Brennan simply smirked at this comment. He knew that Shalimar had no intention of learning to fly, but it was fun to mess with her. Brennan wasn't exactly excited about going on this mission, but it wasn't so bad when Shalimar came along. It was just the two of them and that was the way Brennan liked it, even if he'd never admit it.  
  
Flying somewhere over a small town in rural Maine, the two team members had been in the air for nearly three hours. "Alright Shal, we're there. I'm going to set down over there behind those trees. We're supposed to be meeting this guy at an abandoned hospital about a half block away."  
  
Looking at the impending storm above head Shalimar said, "This better be quick, I don't want to have to run back to the Helix in the rain."  
  
"Ah, little kitty doesn't want to get wet?" Brennan chuckled before receiving a slap across the back of his head.  
  
"Enough of that, let's just get going."  
  
Shalimar nodded and as soon as the Helix landed was out the door. Brennan caught up with her and they ran towards the hospital together. Upon arriving though, they didn't see or hear anything.  
  
"We were meeting him here right?" Shal looked up at Brennan.  
  
"Yeah, he should have been here by . . ."  
  
Shalimar cut Brennan off as her eyes glowed feral and she assumed a fighting stance. "There's somebody here, I can hear them and they're not alone."  
  
Both Brennan and Shalimar turned around to see eight GSA agents standing behind them.  
  
"Nice of you to finally join us." One of the agents quipped looking at the two surprised mutants.  
  
"Sorry if we didn't fit your schedule, maybe we can make it up to you." Brennan looked at Shalimar and nodded before both started for the agents.  
  
Shalimar took the first two down easy with a few kicks to the stomach and faces before turning to the next two. "Come on guys, you're too boring. Where's the action?"  
  
Meanwhile Brennan had thrown a high electric charge at three of the agents and was turning to the last. It wasn't until that moment that he saw the man's face. It was scaly and had covered gills; this man was a piscis feral. His agility was amazing but he was out of his element and it only took a few quick kicks to take him down.  
  
As soon as he was down he turned to help Shalimar but she looked like she was having too much fun and he didn't want to disturb that. If she needed his help he'd step in then. Five minutes later the remaining agents were down and Shalimar was heading towards him.  
  
"I think we should get out of here. I don't think our little friend is or ever was here."  
  
"Bren, you read my mind."  
  
Both returned to the Helix without anymore troubles and quickly ran through lift off procedures. Due to the storm that had started, the travel now was going to be slow, but they'd make it. Once they were in the air, Shalimar relayed their incident to Adam who told them to simply return to Sanctuary.  
  
"That was weird Brennan. Why would Eckhart send his lackeys all the way out here for a trap?"  
  
"Think about it. Every time he tries to set a trap, the four of us are together or are within five minutes of the other and can come to rescue. And on the times he has taken us we've always managed to escape. Out here, he could have a base somewhere and the team isn't so close to come and get us. It actually makes sense."  
  
"All I know is that if he wants to capture us, he's going to have to send a lot better people to try next time."  
  
"I don't know, you looked like you were having fun with those last two agents."  
  
"Is that why you were standing there watching me?"  
  
"You didn't need my help, I thought I'd let you. . ." Brennan was stopped by a sudden jolt and an alarm going off in front of him. "The storm outside increased and we were struck by lightening. We're losing power but I'm going to try and route some through. . ."  
  
It was the second time in a minute Brennan had been cut off but this time it wasn't a lightening bolt. Shalimar looked over in time to see Brennan attempt to dive out of the way of his exploding console, but he didn't make it and took the full brunt of the explosion. Seeing Brennan collapse on the ground all Shalimar could do was take over the pilot's chair and see if she could remember her emergency training. All she could do was hope that Brennan was okay, and hope and that she could handle the Helix. 


	2. Cuts and Bruises

Disclaimer: Although a girl can wish, I in no way shape or form own Mutant X or any of the characters.  
  
Part Two: Cuts and Bruises  
  
As soon as Shalimar took over the controls she contacted Adam. "Adam, the plane is losing power and Brennan is hurt. Is there anyway you can control to plane to the ground?"  
  
"Shalimar there's no way I can do it from here. You're going to have to put down an emergency landing. You know how to do that and I'll be here. . ." Adam's voice cut out as yet another bolt of lightening struck the Helix.  
  
"Adam, we lost her COM signal and the Helix. She's on her own." Jesse said gravely looking towards Adam.  
  
"Well, trace their last coordinates and you and Emma get ready. As soon as you trace them, we're leaving."  
  
Meanwhile, Shalimar was having a hard time controlling the Helix as it went down. All power was gone and she was just trying to steer it towards an open patch of land and slow down its rate of approach to smooth the landing. She could feel the adrenaline coursing through her system as she prayed that this would land without hurting anyone further.  
  
"Oh shit." Shalimar screamed as the ground came rushing towards her. She had completely lost control of the Helix and she couldn't slow their rate of approach. They were going down, and they were going down hard.  
  
Shalimar was the first to wake up from the crash as she looked to find Brennan. "Ah, that hurts." Shalimar did a quick self examination and while all she saw was a small cut on her forehead, she had some serious bruising on her abdomen. Hearing Brennan groan, Shalimar moved to find him.  
  
Finding him a few feet away, Shalimar could see he was in bad shape, "Hey Brennan, don't move. You were seriously electrocuted and from what I can see, you've got a really bad broken arm and some deep cuts."  
  
Shalimar saw more on Brennan but didn't see the need in worrying him more. She was concerned about the broken arm, but the burns and the half glazed over eyes worried her more.  
  
"Now I know how the GSA Agents feel when I fry them." Brennan said trying to lighten the mood.  
  
Shalimar looked at him and smiled, not wanting him to be worried.  
  
Brennan saw the look in her eyes when she smiled and he knew she wasn't telling him everything, "What's wrong Shalimar? Are you hurt?"  
  
"I'm fine, but we can't stay here. If Eckhart is still trying to catch us, he could spot the Helix from a mile away. I'm going to leave a coded message for Jesse and Adam, but other than that, we've got to find another place to stay. Brennan nodded and Shalimar went to work gathering the emergency packs and anything else she could salvage.  
  
Ten minutes later Shalimar was ready to go and stopped to look at Brennan, "I'm going to try and support you the best I can, and we're going to walk into the forest over there."  
  
With that, Shalimar leaned over to grasp Brennan and help him to his feet. He very light headed and swayed on his feet but they managed to keep him standing, "This is going to be a fun trek."  
  
Twenty minutes of walking and stumbling later Shalimar came across a cave in the forest. "Well, this is as good as any place. Brennan what do you think?"  
  
Shalimar could see that he was exhausted and when he didn't respond Shalimar said, "Come on Brennan, stay awake. Will this place work for you?"  
  
"Yeah, whatever Shal." All Brennan wanted to do was sit down and sleep for a long time. He hurt all over and he didn't think he could walk another step.  
  
After setting Brennan down Shalimar quickly got some dry wood and started a fire in the cave to keep them warm. Winter in Canada was not going to be fun, especially if they had to spend the night.  
  
"Hey Brennan, Brennan!" Shalimar frantically tried to wake him up. If he fell asleep, he might never wake up and Shalimar knew that.  
  
"What Shal, I want to sleep."  
  
"You need to stay awake. I'm going to patch up some of those cuts; it's going to sting a little. But talk to me while I do it. I want you to stay awake."  
  
Twenty minutes, six bandages, and a useless conversation later, Brennan was patched up the best Shalimar could do in her situation. Brennan was still talking, although his eyes were closed as Shalimar moved to the other side of the cave. She retrieved two blankets and sat down next to Brennan. Unfortunately, they were going to be stuck in this cave all night. 


	3. Blood

Disclaimer: Although a girl can wish, I in no way shape or form own Mutant X or any of the characters.  
  
Part Three: Blood  
  
Frustrated, Jesse hit the counter. It had been five hours and due to the storm interference, he'd been unable to trace their coordinates. About ready to give up and just go look for them himself, he hit the jack pot. After hollering for Adam and Emma, Jesse began.  
  
"I've traced their last position to about an hour from here. They were last flying through Canada and using the most logical path back to Sanctuary I can extrapolate their course. We just have to get there."  
  
"That's great Jesse. Is everything ready to go?" Jesse nodded and looked to Emma who nodded before looking at her hands. She was worried about those two. Shalimar had said Brennan was injured and she didn't know how to fly the plane that well.  
  
"Let's go then."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Hey Brennan. Remember what I said, stay awake." They had been awake all night talking about random things but at least he'd stayed awake.  
  
"Shal I can't. I . . . can't. . .breathe. I hurt all over." Brennan looked at her for the first time all night and she could see the pain in his eyes. It killed her to see him like this, he wasn't weak, but he wouldn't last much longer.  
  
"I know Brennan, believe me I know," Shalimar said wincing. Her own pain had been slowly growing through the night.  
  
"I've talked all night Shal, you talk to me now. I can't anymore."  
  
Just as Shalimar was about to begin, she heard a sound coming from outside the cave. She knew what it was, it was a cougar and she could smell it. "Brennan stay here, we've got company."  
  
Shalimar moved to the mouth of the cave when the cougar jumped her from the side. Normally, she could have taken the animal down easy, but do to the bruising and cuts, she was having a hard time. The animal got in a few good swipes, especially along her arm, before she could defend herself. Although she had kicked it numerous times including a few hits to the head and snout, it wasn't giving up. At one point it latched on to her stomach, leaving a large wound in it's place and just as it was lunging for her a third time, she saw the electricity come flying out of the cave and hit the animal. Brennan had killed it; he had saved her.  
  
Seeing the animal was dead, Shalimar stumbled back into the cave and fell to the ground beside Brennan. "Shal, are you okay? Can you move?"  
  
"I'm fine, I just need to sit here for a little while before I do anything else."  
  
Her injuries pulled Brennan away from the pain he was feeling. Although he was weak from the injuries and using his powers, he still managed to pull her near him and cover her with a blanket. He vowed to stay awake while she slept; he knew she would want that.  
  
" Shal, come one. You'll be okay. You can't fade on me. I won't make it, I love you." Brennan said before his pain forced him to stop. 'What a pair we make. Both injured and stuck in a cave. This is great.' Brennan thought looking at Shalimar.  
  
Shalimar felt Brennan move her to the cave wall and while she couldn't move, she was awake. She heard what he said and could feel him wince as he moved her. 'Why did I have to get hurt? We can't both stay here like this.'  
  
An hour and a half later Shalimar managed to get up and stumble to the first-aid kit. "Be careful Shal, you're about as stable on your feet as I am."  
  
The time since the accident, had made it easier for Brennan to stay awake and talk to Shalimar. He didn't know if it was because he was getting better or if it was his own sheer will. He knew that if he didn't stay awake, neither would Shalimar.  
  
"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Shalimar turned her back to him as she bandaged her bite and a few of the more serious cuts. She then slowly lifted her shirt to examine her stomach, trying not to show Brennan but he saw anyway.  
  
"Did the cougar do that to you Shal?"  
  
"No, it was from the crash earlier." Shalimar looked at him. "It's fine, it's just some bruising and a few scratches."  
  
"Come on back over here and sit down. We need to stay warm." Brennan said encouraging Shalimar to come sit by him.  
  
She knew that the majority of the burns were on his left side, along with his broken arm so she moved slowly to his right side and sat down. When he put his arm around her shoulders, she just pulled the blanket up around them tighter.  
  
"You know, I heard what you said." Shalimar looked at Brennan waiting for his reaction.  
  
"And what was that?"  
  
Shalimar tried to speak but was suddenly overcome with a coughing fit that had her kneeling over on the ground holding one hand to her stomach and the other to her mouth. When she was done and pulled her hand away, Brennan saw blood. 


	4. Power Outage

Disclaimer: Although a girl can wish, I in no way shape or form own Mutant X or any of the characters.  
  
Part Four: Power Outage  
  
"Come back over here. You need to lay down." Brennan commanded and Shalimar listened. She was beginning to think that it was more than just a few bruised ribs that were bothering her.  
  
Unable to argue, Shalimar simply stumbled back over to Brennan and lay down by him. After ten minutes, Brennan thought she was asleep when he heard her say, "You said you loved me."  
  
"What was that?" Brennan asked, thinking he'd heard her wrong.  
  
"You said you loved. . ." Shalimar stopped as another coughing fit took over her. She hadn't been doing too well before the attack, but now she was worse. "You said you loved me."  
  
Brennan looked down at Shalimar. She was lying on the ground curled up in a tiny ball; she looked like child, "I did say that and I do love you." He's said it before thinking she was asleep, but it seemed important to say now.  
  
"I. . . love. . ." Shalimar never finished as she coughed again and then passed out.  
  
Brennan thought it was good she was asleep until he realized he didn't see her moving at all. Quickly checking for a pulse, he found none and realized he had to do something.  
  
He tried doing CPR but because his arm was broken it wasn't working and he thought about shocking her. 'If I do this, I'm going to lose a lot of energy. Energy I don't have but it could bring her back.'  
  
He didn't need to think again as he shocked her three times with an increasing voltage. On the third time he collapsed next to Shalimar and fell unconscious. He didn't know if it had worked or not, but he'd had to try.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Adam, there's the Helix." Emma said pointing out the window of the helicopter. Apparently Adam had a few tricks up his sleeve including a helicopter that Mutant X knew nothing about until this moment.  
  
Knowing that they could very well need a hand Adam had also called in Jeremy, a new mutant safe house operator to help with the rescue.  
  
"Adam, they're not in there. Nobody is." Emma looked back at her mentor. She couldn't feel anyone in there; it was empty.  
  
Setting down, the team ran to the downed aircraft and began to look around. Adam looked around trying to find some clue as to where they had gone.  
  
"Jesse, you try and see if you can get this up and running and Emma, you see if you can locate Shalimar and Brennan. Jeremy, we're going to go find Bren and Shalimar but I want you to stay here in case Mason decides to show up." Everyone nodded and went about their tasks.  
  
Ten minutes later Emma shouted, "They went into the forest. I got a hit off Brennan. He is week and in a lot of pain but he's alive and I think I can lead you to him."  
  
"That's great, Jesse we're going to need your help so leave the Helix for now."  
  
As they headed off for the forest, nobody said anything. Emma was still probing for Brennan and Shalimar. Adam was to busy worrying about what he'd find and Jesse was wondering why Emma hadn't felt anything from Shalimar.  
  
That only happened in two cases, and one involved the death of the woman he thought of as his sister. 


	5. Connections

Disclaimer: Although a girl can wish, I in no way shape or form own Mutant X or any of the characters.  
  
Part Five: Connection  
  
Making their way through the forest took time, but after fifteen minutes, Emma was able to lead them to the cave entrance. Before they saw either Brennan or Shalimar though they saw the cougar, which caused Emma to jump back. She hadn't been paying attention to her surroundings, but had instead been focusing on Brennan.  
  
"Where are they Adam? I know Brennan is here but all I see is that hideous thing?" Emma said frantically. The stress and the pain from Brennan was really having an affect on her. There was an underlying emotion affecting her too and she couldn't control her emotions anymore.  
  
Instead of saying anything Adam simply pointed towards the cave as him and Jesse got closer to it. Looking inside they hated what they found. They saw both Shalimar and Brennan collapsed on the ground neither moving.  
  
Jesse immediately rushed over to the two while Adam followed behind. "Adam, Brennan is breathing and Shalimar is too but both are breathing very shallowly and Shalimar barely has a pulse."  
  
Hearing this Adam immediately took action and started calling out orders, "Jesse I want you to run back to the helix and get two of the collapsible stretchers and then tell Jeremy we need his help. Go quickly, I think I can stabilize them but I need to get back to Sanctuary."  
  
As Jesse ran out, Adam was glad he had that helicopter. His children were about two hours from dieing and the helicopter could make it back to Sanctuary in forty-five minutes. "Emma hand me some of the gauze from the first-aid kit, I need to patch up some of the cuts on Shalimar. I need you to try and regulate their breathing if you can. I need them breathing steady before I can transport them."  
  
"I'll try, tracking Brennan this far has made me really tired but I think I can do it." Five minutes later Emma spoke up again, "I've got both of their breathing stabilized but I'm going to have to be with them the whole time. Shal's pulse is really erratic, and there was nothing I could do, while Brennan's body kept fighting my attempts at stabilizing his breathing."  
  
As Emma said that, Jesse and Jeremy came running into the cave. Without saying anything they carefully transferred Shalimar and Brennan to the stretchers and began the trip back to the aircraft, Adam and Jesse carrying Brennan and Jeremy and Emma carrying Shalimar.  
  
When they were in sight of the helicopter Emma was overcome by a sense of urgency and as she looked to Shalimar and than Brennan she saw why. "Adam, Brennan isn't breathing. I can stabilize him but I'm going to have to stay connected this time."  
  
Adam looked at Emma concerned, she'd never done anything like that before and he was worried at how much her body could take, but he had to try, "Alright Emma, but be careful."  
  
After reaching the helicopter and putting Brennan and Shalimar in, everyone else climbed in and Adam started back to Sanctuary, "Jesse make sure you keep an eye on Shalimar's breathing and Emma. If either starts having trouble, I want you to tell me."  
  
They made it back to Sanctuary without any further complications and moved everyone to the lab, "Alright Emma I need to stabilize Shalimar and right now she's my biggest priority. She has internal injuries that I need to tend to. If you can, I want you to stabilize Brennan's breathing and then go rest. I should be able to help him by then."  
  
With a quick nod they both set to work on their patients while Jesse and Jeremy watched on. Both felt helpless standing there as the other two worked.  
  
"Emma, I've repaired Shal's internal damage, she broke three ribs and one punctured a lung and she had ruptured her spleen in the crash. She's not out of the woods yet, but she's stable now and breathing on her own so I think I can help you with Brennan now."  
  
"He's not breathing on his own and his arm is severely broken, not to mention second and third degree burns on forty percent of his body." Emma said looking at Adam with a sad a weary look in her eyes.  
  
"Well let's fix those burns first and that should help immensely with his breathing. As they sat in the cold, the burns must have seized up and constricted his lungs." Adam said as he moved over to his desk. He entered a few commands into the computer and then watched as a broad yellow light swept over Brennan. Within minutes the burns were healed, but Adam could see by looking at the monitors that Brennan still wasn't breathing on his own.  
  
"Emma start running tests on his blood glucose, temperature, heart rate, etc. I want to know why he's not able to breathe yet. I'm going to fix his broken arm and then I want you to get those cuts and scratches for me."  
  
"Alright Adam-" Before Emma could continue, she herself collapsed on the ground unconscious. 


	6. Repercussions

Disclaimer: Although a girl can wish, I in no way shape or form own Mutant X or any of the characters.  
  
Part Six: Repercussions  
  
Almost two hours later Adam saw Emma stir on the bed in the lab.  
  
"Oh, my head. It hurts so much," Emma said trying to sit up.  
  
"Hey, Emma lay back down. You were out for two hours and you need some rest. Can you tell me what happened?"  
  
"I was connected with Brennan for so long Adam. I've never been connected with anyone that long. He was in so much pain Adam; I could feel it, on my own body. I couldn't take it, his pain took over my body."  
  
"Alright I'm going to sedate you, I want you to sleep uninterrupted for at least twelve hours." Adam said in that way he had.  
  
"Wait Adam, you said two hours. How are they?" Emma tried to look around but her head hurt too much.  
  
"They're okay. They're both stable and they're both going to pull through. Now go to sleep."  
  
Emma nodded as Adam gave her and injection. She didn't fight the sleep; she knew she needed it, even if only to escape the pain that was following her while she was awake.  
  
As Emma dozed off Jesse entered the lab, "I got Jeremy back to the safe house. He was worried, but I told him we'd give him a call if we had any news. How are they?"  
  
"They'll all be okay. Emma's just sleeping, she actually woke up but I put her back to sleep. Brennan and Shal will be okay with time. Brennan needs about another four hours before he can breathe on his own. His energy reserves were completely gone. His body had nothing to work with, that's why we couldn't get him to stay breathing."  
  
"I also had to operate on his arm. It was broken in numerous places and would have healed on its own," Adam said looking towards the cast on the young man's arm. "As for Shalimar, she has three broken ribs, and a deep bite mark on her arm. She had internal bleeding, but I was able to fix that. I'm going to keep them sedated as well for at least two days. It will be better for both of them this way."  
  
"It's going to be quiet around here for the next couple days isn't it," Jesse said chuckling.  
  
"Yeah it is," Adam said with sadness in his voice. He felt responsible for them especially having sent them into the trap in the first place. Now three of his 'children' were injured and in pain. "I'd like you to go see if you can find any trace of a Genomex program near where they were attacked. If they were going to attack them there, they must have had a place to put them."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Jesse had been right; the two days had been quiet and tense. After Emma woke up, she spent a lot of time in the lab with Brennan and Shalimar. After connecting with Brennan for so long, she felt a lasting bond that had never been there before and had an uncontrollable need to make sure he made it through okay.  
  
" Bren, Jesse?" Emma heard from the other side of the room. Adam had stopped the medical sedation earlier that day and they were just waiting for them to wake up on their own now.  
  
"Hey Shal, I'm here. It's okay, don't try and move. Just lay there."  
  
"Where's Brennan? He was hurt really bad Emma. You need to help him."  
  
Emma had to chuckle at this, "You were hurt pretty bad yourself Shal but don't worry we got Brennan. He's going to be fine and so are you."  
  
"I'm so tired though Emma."  
  
"Just sleep then Shal, just sleep." As she said this Shalimar nodded off to sleep.  
  
Looking at her best friend, Emma just smiled. She was going to be okay and she could tell from the emotions radiating off of her that she had told Brennan how she felt. The need to protect Brennan and the love she felt towards him, it was different this time. She could tell it had been returned. Emma turned to look at Brennan; he was lucky to have Shalimar but now he just needed to wake up and see her himself.  
  
'When is he going to wake up?' Emma wondered. 


	7. Energy

Disclaimer: Although a girl can wish, I in no way shape or form own Mutant X or any of the characters.  
  
Part Seven: Energy  
  
An hour later, Adam heard the alarm through his COM ring: Brennan was awake. As he rushed back to the lab, he saw that Emma was already there but Shalimar was back asleep so he entered quietly.  
  
When he entered he saw Emma standing at Brennan's right, holding his arm and talking to him. He slowly moved over to the pair and said, "Brennan? How are you feeling?"  
  
"We'll I don't think I could move if I wanted and my arm is on fire, but other than that Adam, I'm just great!" Brennan said sarcastically.  
  
"Well your arm is severely broken and you're body is still working on replenishing your energy and healing the last of the severe burns that I couldn't fix. I want you to stay here for another day and then we'll move you to your room."  
  
"That's fine, I couldn't move if I had to," Brennan said giving in to Adam with little of the fight he usually put up. Within seconds, Brennan's attitude changed completely, and he seemed completely alert. "Adam, where's Shalimar? Is she okay?"  
  
Emma had to laugh at this. Upon waking up, they had the same thought on their minds, "Relax Brennan, Shalimar is right behind you. She already woke up once, she's just resting now. Like you should."  
  
"Emma's right Brennan. Before you sleep though did something happen that drained your energy? You were dying when we found you. Emma had to connect to you for an hour to keep you breathing and then you still didn't breathe on your own for another four hours."  
  
"It's all a little hazy but I remember being electrocuted before the plane crash and then having to shock Shal, my God Adam. I remember; Shalimar died. I had to shock her to save her." The worry in his voice was evident to all in the room.  
  
"Brennan relax it's okay. You saved her, she's okay now. That does explain your situation though. The combination of the electrocution and your injuries obviously weakened you. When you shocked Shalimar, you must have used what little energy your body had produced, and it wasn't enough to keep you going."  
  
"Brennan, we can talk about this later. Just go to sleep now alright." Emma said sending him calming thoughts.  
  
Both Adam and Emma watched as Brennan fell asleep and then left the lab. Those two needed peace and time.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
As Shalimar woke up she was aware of the sounds around her. There were several beeping noises in the background as well as a few other sounds. When she got enough energy to look around she saw that she had been moved. She was now in one of the beds against the wall and in the next one she saw Brennan. He was asleep and as she turned on her side to look at him she heard him stir.  
  
"Brennan? Are you awake?" Shalimar asked quietly. If he wasn't awake, she didn't want to wake him.  
  
"Yeah, I think."  
  
Shalimar chuckled, "What do you mean you think you're awake?"  
  
Brennan tried to turn on his right to look at her but he still couldn't muster up the energy so he just turned his head instead, "I mean that the last time I saw you, you were dead. I thought if you were alive, I must be dreaming."  
  
Shalimar looked away from Brennan. He must have been dreaming, as she was fine. "Well I'm fine now. I'm just a little tired and a little sore."  
  
"Okay Shal, that's great. I've got to back to sleep though, "Brennan said turning his head away from her and falling back asleep.  
  
'Was he trying to avoid me? Does he regret what he said in the cave? What happened to us? Why doesn't he want to talk to me?' The thoughts running through Shalimar's head made her dizzy but instead of going back to sleep, she got out of bed and left the lab. She didn't want to be here if he woke up again. He didn't want her, so she didn't need him. 


	8. A Much Needed Talk

Disclaimer: Although a girl can wish, I in no way shape or form own Mutant X or any of the characters.  
  
Part Eight: A Much Needed Talk  
  
As Shalimar got up, she instinctively brought up her right arm to cradle her aching ribs and it was then that she noticed the bandage on her hand and arm. She remembered the wolf but it must have been bad if she was still showing outward signs of the attack. Between her feral healing and Adam's lab, she didn't usually have many visible signs of an attack.  
  
As she rounded the corner for her room, she ran into Emma, "Whoa Shalimar! What are you doing out of bed? You've got to get back to the lab before Adam flips."  
  
"Emma I just don't want to be there. Don't have a heart attack; I wasn't going to go spar. I was going to go lay down in my bedroom." Although she said it with a smile on her face, Emma could feel the hurt behind it. Not just the pain from her injuries, the hurt from something else.  
  
"You talked to Brennan didn't you?" Emma asked as she led Shalimar to her room.  
  
"Emma, stay out of my head. I don't feel like talking right now."  
  
"I wasn't in your head. Shal I can tell when people are upset; it's the one emotion I can't block. Tell me what happened." Emma looked at her and smiled to show her that it would make her feel better.  
  
Shalimar tried to argue but found she didn't have the energy and instead told Emma what happened in the cave and the lab. She would find out anyway and this way was easier.  
  
As she finished she was crying as she said, ". . . and he didn't even want to talk to me Emma. I know he's in pain but he barely said anything to me. He doesn't love me; he was just saying it. He thought we were going to die so he was indulging in my wish."  
  
Emma stared at her wanting to laugh but knowing it would be a bad idea. Emma was wondering how she could not see what Brennan really thought of her. It dawned on Emma though and she pulled Shalimar into a careful hug, trying not to jar her ribs or her arm. She had no idea what really happened in the cave.  
  
"Shalimar, Brennan loves you so much. He wasn't ignoring you in the lab; he really did need to sleep. He's still regaining the energy his body needs to function, literally. When he said you died, he wasn't dreaming Shal. It really happened."  
  
"What are you talking about? I can't have died. I'm right here." Shalimar said frustrated at the whole situation.  
  
"Shal, after the attack, your broken ribs had punctured your lung and caused serious internal bleeding. Your heart stopped beating and Brennan shocked you multiple times to bring you back. He knew he didn't have the energy to use, but he wanted to save you. He was willing to sacrifice himself for you."  
  
"Are you serious? Would he do that for me?" Shalimar said looking down at her bed. She was confused about what was happening now.  
  
Seeing the look in her friend's face, Emma reached over and grabbed her hand. "Shal look at me." When Shalimar looked Emma in the eyes Emma continued, "When we found Brennan, he was barely breathing and after just a few minutes he stopped completely. I have to connect with him and literally breathe for him. For an hour Shal, I was connected with him and amidst the pain I felt was a constant feeling of love for you. It was one of the only things that saved my while I was connected to him, his love for you."  
  
Shalimar was having a hard time getting her mind around this. They had just been friends a few days ago and now she didn't know what to think, "Emma thank you for telling me this but I think I just want to be by myself for a while. I'm still pretty tired and I think I need to sleep for a while longer."  
  
"Alright, just holler if you need anything. Jesse will be at your beck and call all day. It's what he's good for," Emma said joking.  
  
"Thanks Emma. Really." Shalimar said giving a small smile before carefully laying on her bed and falling to sleep. 


End file.
